Re: Distribution of Apple II, IIGS system software & HCGS

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

In article <4ssm9r$rq3@nnrp1.news.primenet.com>, johnlb@Primenet.Com (John
Bowling) wrote:

>As a test, I downloaded everything from the HyperCard IISG directory of
>ftp.support.apple.com.  I tried using GSCII+, ShrinkIt (GS version), and
>MacBin.  None of them would accept the .BSQ (or whatever .B.. designation)
>as input.

These files have been slightly mangled - they are BinSCII files containing
ShrinkIt disk images (as indicated by the .BSQ extension), but they have
an extra 512 byte header which has to be removed before anything will be
able to handle the file.

>I was able to use GSCII+ to translate the .H.. versions

(HQX - BinHex)

>into Mac format files, with resources.

Yep, but you then are left with a Mac self-extracting archive, which is
completely useless unless you have a Mac (it is a Mac application). 
Inside that is a DiskCopy disk image, which could be extracted on the
IIgs.

(Some people have reported that the data inside the HQX is a compressed
disk image from some other program, but I wouldn't expect that in a file
created by Apple.)

>It has been said here before that the files have a MacBinary II wrapper,
>but MacBin should have been able to remove it.

No, it is an AppleSingle header.  ShrinkIt GS might be able to remove it,
but I haven't tried.

One solution is to get hold of a utility program which can copy all of the
file except the first 512 bytes.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail Mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, NEW ZEALAND